Public Hearings to Seek Bus Route Comments

Last week the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) announced that it will be holding hearings in October to seek input from Baltimore residents on its proposed changes to the region's bus routes. According to MTA, proposed changes include alterations to eight bus routes, the addition of a new route, and the splitting of an existing route into two new ones.

One of the proposed changes, to the Number 11 bus, directly affects Canton residents. Currently, the southern terminus of the 11 is in Riverview, near Lansdowne. The proposed route would relocate the 11's southern terminus to Canton, while also simplifying the routing on the northern section of the route.

The MTA public meetings will be held:

• Tuesday, October 9, 2007
  12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
  World Relief Headquarters
  7 East Baltimore Street


• Wednesday, October 10, 2007
  5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary School
  1327 Washington Boulevard


• Monday, October 15, 2007
  5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  Towson Library
  320 York Road

For more information, visit the MTA website.

Audubon Center to Open in Patterson Park

Yesterday's Examiner reports that Patterson Park will soon be the home of the country's third urban Audubon Center.

Beginning in the summer of 2009, the park's Virginia S. Baker Recreation Center will receive a $3.3 million makeover to encompass the facility. Currently located in a storefront adjacent to the park, the Audubon Center will benefit from a new 4,000-square-foot second-story addition to the Baker Center. It will use geothermal energy for heating and cooling and include a "green roof" to reduce energy consumption and emissions.

The Maryland-DC branch of the National Audubon Society, the Friends of Patterson Park, and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks will co-host a series of community meetings between now and the start of construction to raise awareness and also to seek input for the design plans.

The other urban Audubon Centers are located in Los Angeles and New York. They provide a variety of educational programming for children and adults on the importance of responsible stewardship of natural resources. Audubon Maryland-DC has been active at Patterson Park since 2002, offering programs ranging from after-school programs to bird walks.

The new center was announced at a press conference Wednesday attended by Mayor Dixon, City officials, and representatives of Audubon Maryland-DC.